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In fourteenth place is Alinea, an eclectic spot in Chicago where award-winning chef Grant Achatz serves squab that is mysteriously 'inspired by Miró.'

The very best: The French Laundry is number one on the list. The chef here serves an elaborate - and pricey - $270 nine-course tasting menu that never repeats a single ingredient

At Alinea, presentation is just as
important as the food itself. The restaurant's specialty is its dessert
art, an impressionist painting of chocolate and fruit that the waiter
serves atop a rubber tablecloth.

Xi'An Famous Foods in Queens, New York, serves up genuine Chinese dishes that may scare off unadventurous diners, including its famous 'spicy and tingly lamb face salad.'

And a large number of the nation's best restaurants change their menus daily, an indication that Americans enjoy the surprise factor these spots have to offer.

The French Laundry in Napa Valley, California, is number one on the list.

Artistic food: The specialty at Alinea (number 14) is the dessert art - an impressionist painting of chocolate and fruit served atop a rubber tablecloth (pictured)

This rustic restaurant's modest exterior is deceiving; the chef here serves an elaborate - and
pricey - $270 nine-course tasting menu that never repeats a single
ingredient.

Although some weird and new restaurants have entered the list, old favorites still hold true.

Hot spot Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New
York City's East Village comes in at number four, followed by Eleven
Madison Park, where fine dining and 'century-old culinary traditions'
take the lead.

Diners who wish to take a meal at many
of the top 101 must be quick off the mark, as exclusivity tends to be a
recurrent theme at these spots.

Popular places: WD-50 in Manhattan (left) is number 32. Washington, D.C.'s Minibar (right), where the Obamas celebrated Valentine's Day this year, is number 95 on the list

Innovative: WD-50 is a 'molecular' restaurant that serves up experimental culinary mash-ups such as pho gras, a blend of Vietnemese pho and foie gras (pictured)

At number 50, Next restaurant in Chicago has
an online reservation system for buying tickets, but the waiting list
consists of over 20,000 diners desperate to nab a seat.

Even modest establishment Franklin
BBQ in Austin, Texas, often has a line out the door of people craving
its famous beef brisket.

And in 95th place, Minibar in Washington, D.C.-
where the Obamas celebrated Valentine's Day this year - takes its name
from the sheer size of the intimate restaurant, which seats just 12.

Tried and true: Hot spot Momofuku Ssam Bar in New York City's East Village is number four

The Daily Meal top 101 was
compiled with the help of a panel of restaurant
critics and food writers, who selected the winners from a list of 313 nominations.

Unsurprisingly, restaurants in food capital New York City dominate the top 20 spots on the list.

And
the country's other 'food towns' - Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans
and San Francisco, to name a few - are where many of the best
restaurants seem to be congregated.